Exploring an Effective Approach for Identifying Individuals with High
Schizotypal Traits: A Study Using EEG Data and Deep Learning Algorithms
Abstract
Objective: Individuals with schizotypal traits can be
considered at high-risk for schizophrenia. Studies have shown that
individuals with schizotypal traits exhibited neurophysiological
abnormalities. However, whether and to what extent could
electroencephalogram (EEG) data discriminate individuals with high and
low schizotypal traits remained unknown. The present study aimed to
examine this issue using a deep learning approach. Method: The
resting-state EEG data were collected in 48 individuals with high
schizotypal traits and 50 individuals with low schizotypal traits during
both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Three EEG datasets were
constructed: the eyes-open dataset, the eyes-closed dataset, and the
combined dataset. Subsequently, the EEG data of the two groups were
classified using the Long and Short-Term Memory Network combined with a
one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (LSTM-1DCNN) model.
Results: The LSTM-1DCNN model demonstrated high accuracy in
identifying individuals with schizotypal traits across the eyes-open,
eyes-closed and combined datasets, with an accuracy of 94.86%, 94.26%,
and 95.30%, respectively. The state of participants’ eyes (open or
closed) did not affect the identification accuracy. Conclusion:
Individuals with high schizotypal traits exhibited distinct EEG patterns
compared to those with low schizotypal traits. EEG data and deep
learning algorithm can be employed to identify individuals at risk for
schizophrenia.